Virat Kohli — The No. 1 ODI Batter of ICC Rankings
Virat Kohli is currently going through in tremendous form in the ODI format. He has been continuously scoring runs since the 3rd ODI against Australia. And now, the chase master has once again become the No. 1 ODI batter of the ICC rankings. After having 2 consecutive ducks in the Australia tour, he made a brilliant comeback. Just look at his numbers: 74*, 135, 102, 65*, 131, 77, 93, and 23, which show his current form. In the 3rd ODI against Australia, he scored 74*. After this, against South Africa, he scored 302 runs in 3 innings, including 2 centuries and 1 half-century.After this, he played 2 domestic matches for Delhi in VHT 2025/26, where he scored 208 runs, including a century and a half-century. While in the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand, he already scored 116 runs, including a half-century. Before this series, he was at the no. 2 position, and now he surpassed his own team member Rohit Sharma, the former no. 1 ODI batter. Rohit scored only 50 runs in 2 innings, which caused him to relinquish the No. 1 position.
This is overall the 11th time Virat Kohli holds the No. 1 position in ICC rankings across all 3 formats in his illustrious career. In ODIs, he became the No. 1 batter for the very first time in 2013. From 2014 to 2016, Kohli became a multiple-time No. 1 batter. After this, from 2017 to 2020, Kohli was the No. 1 ODI batter; no one was around him at that time. Kohli dominated this era, finishing four consecutive calendar years (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) as the No. 1 ODI batter—a rare and elite achievement. Kohli reclaimed the No. 1 ODI batting ranking for the 11th time, displacing Rohit Sharma after nearly 4–5 years outside the top spot. Kohli has spent a cumulative total of approximately 1,547 days at No. 1 in ODI batting rankings—the most by an Indian batter and among the top in history.
Virat Kohli is one of the greatest batters in cricket history. He is the second-highest run getter in international cricket after the great Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli has already smashed 53 ODI centuries.
Virat Kohli currently has 785 rating points. He is just 1 point ahead of Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand (784). While Rohit Sharma has 775 ratings. The last India vs New Zealand ODI match will be held at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, on January 18. After this match, once again ODI batter rankings will change, and it will be fascinating to watch. Will Virat Kohli be the top ODI batter, or will he be relinquished by these two?